Patient service associate vs patient care representative

The differences between patient service associates and patient care representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a patient service associate and a patient care representative. Additionally, a patient care representative has an average salary of $33,709, which is higher than the $31,992 average annual salary of a patient service associate.

The top three skills for a patient service associate include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a patient care representative are patients, patient care, and home health.

Patient service associate vs patient care representative overview

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Care Representative
Yearly salary	$31,992	$33,709
Hourly rate	$15.38	$16.21
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	96,748	133,317
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient service associate do?

A patient service associate is responsible for providing high-quality care services to the patients, ensuring their satisfaction by assisting their medical needs and concerns. Patient service associates perform administrative duties, such as helping patients to fill-out forms, updating patients' information on the database, processing payments for medical procedures, storing patients' medical files, and monitoring the adequacy of medical tools and supplies. They may also conduct basic medical operations under the supervision of a physician or a health professional, adhering to strict protocols and regulations at all times to avoid hazards and health risks.

What does a patient care representative do?

PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history. They must be able to communicate with patients, family members, and medical staff to give them all the information they need to treat the person looking for medical help.

Patient service associate vs patient care representative salary

Patient service associates and patient care representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Care Representative
Average salary	$31,992	$33,709
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Virginia Eye Institute	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between patient service associate and patient care representative education

There are a few differences between a patient service associate and a patient care representative in terms of educational background:

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Care Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient service associate vs patient care representative demographics

Here are the differences between patient service associates' and patient care representatives' demographics:

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Care Representative
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient service associate and patient care representative duties and responsibilities

Patient service associate example responsibilities.

Verify patient's insurance eligibility and other pertinent information according to HIPAA regulations and hospital policies.
Screen uninsure patients for medicaid and other programs, complete medicaid applications for qualify applicants.
Interview patients and conduct an analysis of potential eligibility for Medicaid and hospital charity programs.
Obtain accurate and detail diagnostic, demographic and financial information for patients requesting emergency hospital services.
Limit experience in attending patients needs, while perform in accordance with existing regulatory and hospital standards.
Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.

Patient care representative example responsibilities.

Manage cash and co-payments accurately and discharge patients providing them with proper medical notes and information before exiting.
Verify insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, register patients, and code proper ICD-9 and CPT codes on encounters.
Utilize medical terminology, CPT, HCPC and ICD-9 and patient information into new authorizations.
Interview patients to gather information pertinent to their Medicaid application.
Screen, identify, and enter ICD-9 coding from treatment record forms.
Maintain patient confidentiality and follow HIPAA rules.

Patient service associate vs patient care representative skills

Common patient service associate skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Service, 6%
HIPAA, 4%

Common patient care representative skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 13%
Home Health, 7%
Cash Management, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
CPT, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Service Associate
Patient Service Associate vs Patient Care Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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